Esperance-Lucky Bay-Esperance-Lucky Bay (140kms)

Decided to have an easy day, so lazed around Esperance drinking coffee etc until midday.  Headed off to Cape le Grande National Park, about 70kms away, to camp at Lucky Bay camping ground.  Laid in the steaks for the BBQ etc. Beautiful afternoon although threatening rain as walked up onto nearby rocky point to enjoy the setting sun and views over Lucky Bay.

The best laid plans … as we started to cook in the shelter on the gas BBQ … the wind started blowing harder such that the BBQ proved hard to keep alight.  And then, the horizontal rain began that soaked us to the skin. We retreated to the car to take stock, happy in the knowledge that we had erected the tent already as the rain hammered down.  Decided to head into Esperance – a mere 70kms – for fish and chip dinner – then back to our rain lashed campsite. We snuggled in for the night – ha-bloody-ha – as the wind threatened to tear the tent from the ground and deposit us in the bay.  Then, Peter added his stentorian snores to the cacophony, and my sleepless night was complete. I dashed around bollock-naked re-securing the tent as needed, and listened to the wind howling like a banshee. What jolly japes!

Comments on the above:

• Robert Harper Reminds me of camping in Cowes (that’s on Phillip Island in Victoria for benefit of our overseas friends). The boys were burying deep in sleeping bags back to roaring wind and lashing rain through enlarging rip in tent. For the sake of a good story let’s say Dave yelled out to dad who was in other tent to secure our tent. I will never forget peeking under tent wall to see our heroic dad saving his boys. There was the sound of dad hammering in tent pegs his back to the wind, the lightening flashed , his pjs fell down and the white beacon of his bare bottom was a beacon to all real men protecting their kids.Sounds like your were channelling Dad Dave.
• David J. Harper So funny Rob, as Pete reminded me of that event. There was a suggestion we go home and Mum said: “I am not going home; this is my only holiday of the year!”

Sue Heard (on following photo) Now here’s an interesting conundrum, how did those boulders get up there? Tsunami would seem possible, there are perched boulders in the Bahamas. Need to know the scale. Can’t find anything about these so far. Interestingly the area is home to endemic frogs and ‘include the quacking frog, the western banjo frog and the humming frog’.